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RUSSELL WOMAN SCAMMED FOR $168,000
CHRISTOPHER SMITH christopher.smith@eap.on.ca
Although a local homeowner was as careful as possible, the scammer still made off with almost $170,000 from her. The Russell resident did her due diligence when choosing a contractor to renovate her newly purchased house. She called his references, she looked at reviews, and she inquired about him at the Better Busi- ness Bureau. Despite all this however, the scammer still managed to make off with $168,000 from her renovation funds. Cory Cahill has been charged with 65 criminal offences by Ottawa police, including fraud, forgery, mischief, and uttering threats. Cahill has several names he advertised under according to Ottawa police, including $FEBS3FOPWBUJPOT $PSZ)55&QJD8PPE Finishing and Platinum Cabinets. He’s fooled many people over the years, as indicated by the allegations that police received once a Russell resident came forward with her story. The woman has remained unnamed due to privacy concerns. A report from CTV following an interview with her states that after Cahill was hired, he showed up consistently with subcontractors he hired between October to December 2020 to begin work. After Christmas though, the work stop- ped and none of the in-progress tasks were finished. Payment was immediately cut off once it was obvious he wasn’t coming back, but he had already collected $168,000, and
Les rénovations sont un terrain propice aux escroqueries, comme l’a découvert une femme de Russell. -Pexels photo
Cahill has responded to the allegations through his lawyer, Jeffrey Langevin, who states, «Mr. Cahill intends to settle any dis- putes outstanding with his former clients, or have the issues adjudicated in Small Claims Court. Mr. Cahill denies any criminal liability.» Construction contracting scams are more prevalent now, as the internet helps indivi- duals masquerade as more reputable than they are. Jessie St-Cyr, a media relations agent with the Better Business Bureau,
the home had been torn apart. The kitchen had no ceiling, floors were left with gaping holes, and stairs were either installed wrong or gone altogether. The Better Business Bureau has regis- tered warnings on Cahill’s businesses, and people who were also defrauded by Cahill have now provided support to the Russell resident’s story with their own claims. Repu- table contractors from the area have also contacted her to help fix the house.
suggests not paying more than a third of the total amount as a deposit for work planned. «Type the business name onto the internet but also write ‘scam’ beside and see what comes up,» she said. «Verify if they have a profile on bbb.org, ask for picture ID. This might seem a little bit intense but with all the scams we are seeing around home improvement it’s a good thing to do to see the name and the picture.»
EMBRUN OPTIMIST CLUB VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE
Vos projets commencent ici!
CHRISTOPHER SMITH christopher.smith@eap.on.ca
The Embrun Optimist Club is collecting donations for its food drive. 5IF&NCSVO0QUJNJTU$MVCJTPODFBHBJO organizing a virtual food drive for under- privileged families in the area. Last year’s fundraiser helped close to 90 families in QBSUOFSTIJQXJUIUIF(PPE/FJHICPVST'PPE Bank by providing Christmas baskets filled with food, as well as gift cards for the child- ren. A grand total of $12,000 was raised last year. 'PSPWFSZFBST UIF&NCSVO0QUJNJTU Club has been collecting non-perishable food items, donations and gifts for the neediest families and children in our community to make their holiday season a little more enjoyable. People in the community should know that again this year, due to the sanitary measures associated with the pandemic, there will be no door-to-door collection. As was the case last year, people are asked to donate by electronic transfer to embrun.optimiste@ gmail.com (password: optimist). Cheque or cash donations will also be accepted; please seal them in a well-identified envelope and EFMJWFSUP#PVSEFBV$SFTDFOUJO&NCSVO 5IFESJWFFOETPO/PWFNCFSUPHJWF the Food Bank time to prepare the baskets. Please make sure to donate before then. FILLER www. editionap .ca
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La collecte annuelle d'aliments du Club Optimiste d'Embrun sera encore virtuelle cette année -Facebook photo
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